April 2012: 70 Congress members warned of anti-Sikh violence

[Enrique]

http://crowley.house.gov/press-release/congressman-crowley-leads-over-90-members-congress-urging-fbi-collect-data-hate-crimes

Congressman Crowley Leads Over 90 Members of Congress in Urging FBI to Collect Data on Hate Crimes Against Sikh Community
New Effort Responds to Attacks on Sikh-American Communities, Erroneous Blame for September 11th Attacks
Apr 19, 2012 Issues: In the Community

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Rep. Joe Crowley (NY-7) led 92 Members of the House in a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to begin collecting data on hate crimes committed against Sikh-Americans, a community that is acutely susceptible to violence because of their appearance.

“The more information our law enforcement agencies have on violence against Sikh-Americans, the more they can do to help prevent these crimes and bring those who commit them to justice,” said Rep. Crowley. “The Department of Justice and FBI have carried out important outreach efforts in coalition with the Sikh community, but these efforts must also be paired with data collection to ensure we are doing everything possible to crack down on hate crimes against the Sikh community.”

Sikh-Americans are often targeted for hate crimes because of their distinct identity and common misperceptions with respect to their attire and appearance. Attackers often appear to erroneously believe that Sikh-Americans are affiliated with extremists and were somehow responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States. Over the past year, Sikh-Americans and their religious institutions have been threatened or attacked in highly-publicized incidents in New York, Michigan, Virginia and California, where two men were murdered. Advocacy groups believe it is likely that many other incidents have occurred but went unreported.

The lawmakers’ letter calls for the FBI to update the Hate Crime Incident Report Form (1-699) to include crimes committed against Sikh-Americans. While the FBI tracks hate crimes committed with a bias against particular groups, there is no designation on the Report Form for hate crimes committed against Sikhs. The Report Form serves as the primary mechanism for the federal government to document hate crimes committed in the U.S. and is related to the allocation of law enforcement resources to abate such crimes. Excluding Sikhs in hate crime data collection efforts not only diminishes the safety of the 500,000 strong Sikh-American community, but also weakens the quality of hate crime data overall.

This effort is supported by numerous advocacy groups, including the New York-based Sikh Coalition.

Crowley is a recognized leader in the U.S. House of Representatives on issues related to Indian-Americans and the Sikh-American community. A former six-term member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he currently serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans and has traveled to India several times. Crowley also co-led U.S. Congressional efforts to advance the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, a landmark agreement which advanced the international nuclear non-proliferation framework. Domestically, Crowley has been a strong voice opposing discrimination against Indian-Americans and hate crimes committed against Sikh-Americans.

To read the letter, please click here.

Congressman Crowley is a seven-term representative from the 7th Congressional District of New York, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx. He serves as chief deputy whip in the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Downloads

» Letter to DOJ on Hate Crimes Against Sikh-Americans 04-19-2012.pdf

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I read the letter and looked at the list of signers.

I recognized a lot of Democrats' names. Did any GOPers sign it?

Oh, what could I have been thinking....?

[Enrique]

2. i was wondering the same

I looked through the names and it looks like it is mostly progressive dems, and black Caucus dems, although I recognize at least one Blue Dog, Dennis Cardoza.

My guess is that zero of them are republicans but im not sure.